"We have to go back, we can't just let them get away with this!" KuliKuli paced around, rubbing the side of her head as she was frantically contempting their next move.

  "And do what? We had our attempt and it... did not go as we had hoped for." Janette bit her tongue in the moment as she paused.

  Na'Vi fell on her back over the tiny round table, stretching and turning to look at their human companion. "It was a failure I think, yes?"

  "Na'Vi, not the time." Emyri urged, sitting down on the mattress bed. Her eyes were following KuliKuli as she seemed uneasy about how her daughter was handling this. She shot up to block her path, guiding KuliKuli to sit down. "Um, maybe we should listen to your human friends?"

  "Nyitzcha is a dwarf." Janette reminded them.

  Emyri sat beside her daughter, wrapping her arm around her to comfort her. There was no chase, only an escape as no guards seemed to run after them. Nyitzcha took them to a traveler's inn at the red district of Kershin Market. It was a small bedroom meant for one individual due to low affordability and to avoid suspicion. When asked how they would all share one bed, the dwarf expined that they were to stay for several hours at most, likely they would not be spending the night. She didn't say much after, warning them to stay for now and that she would return shortly. Everything happened so quickly that the girls could hardly understand what was happening to them, and it was twenty minutes ter that they began to discuss everything.

  Janette sighed and buried her head in her palms, frustrated after their recent battle. The room held one small bed, a round table in the corner with a candle tossed to the ground to make room for Na'Vi resting on top of the furniture, and one wooden chair where Janette sat. There were no windows this time, just a wooden space of isotion that felt as comfortable and inviting to stay in for the night as a closet.

  "Not all is lost. Your efforts were not in vain, we did retrieve your sister. You fared better than either of us could hope for." Emyri leaned in, hoping to lift her girls' spirits.

  Syri sat against the wall in silence, but at her mother's words she lifted her head and offered a weak smile to KuliKuli. But the look on the Nekomata's defeated expression caused Syri to look away with a twinge of guilt lurking in her chest. Emyri's shoulders dropped as she found it painful to see everyone this way. Her lips were parted as she hoped to speak some words of advice or possible wisdom, but none were heard. In truth, she was lost as well. Though she was thankful to have her daughters back, she understood that it came at a heavy cost.

  "Mother?" KuliKuli asked in a soft tone, hanging her head down. "You said we lived in a clutter, right?"

  "Oh yes, we did."

  "How many of us were there?"

  "Plenty, enough to make migrating difficult with how frequent the elders needed to rest."

  Dimyri leaned against the wall next to her youngest sister. "We had dozens of families with us, enough to make our own little vilge."

  "In our vocabury, that would make you a vilge if you settled somewhere." Janette mentioned.

  Emyri's ears perked up in interest. "We tried but... it's hard to find a good spot where you can survive the winter without fighting for food with others. Be it from other beasts, insects, pgue or bipedal creatures like humans and elves."

  "No issue with the dwarves?" Janette asked out of curiosity.

  Emyri smiled back. "I know of them, but we hardly see them."

  "I suppose that makes sense." Janette mentioned, pressing a finger to her chin. "You'll find dwarves in more poputed towns or around mountains. From the books I have read, it mentioned that Nekomata travel in packs and migrate to avoid the winter."

  She regretted mentioning that as Emyri's expression turned to one of sadness as her cat ears fell as well. "Yes, we lived in such a way before. There was plenty of wildlife and animals to feed us, we would migrate to search for mates before returning. Things change, travelers begin to settle, nds are cimed and only the dominant animal can keep their territory. We don't have spears or arrows and now we had no home. It took months of travelling until we settled in a new spot."

  Janette was about to ask for more when she cut her off. "I don't think we should talk about the past. It brings only sad memories and we have enough to be sad about now."

  KuliKuli turned to look at Emyri. "How did we do it as a clutter? How did we keep each other safe?"

  To that, her mother could only answer her with an embrace and a pat on her back. Janette understood what this meant and reached down to pick up her satchel when Na'Vi spoke to her.

  "Why was your small friend there to help us, what is she getting out of this?"

  "Huh?" Janette looked up to find that both Syri and Dimyri were giving her the same questioning look, sharing the same thoughts as Na'Vi. "Oh, I was... I am just as surprised as you are. I didn't expect to see her, she approached me from behind. She could tell that an ambush was taking pce because no one sats idly by and waits to get got, or something in those words. I'm not sure, she can be tricky to follow."

  "As for why, we've known each other for many winters. My father helped fund her tavern business, she's been a friend of the family before that. We help each other when we can, she was my friend until I moved elsewhere to Farmer's Den. You wouldn't know the pce, I think."

  "I know the pce." Syri reminded her with a cheerful lightness in her tone. "With the funny smelling people and the big white tent where you store lots of fruit inside! Right?"

  "That's the one." Janette giggled back, finding humor in how simplistic she described her shop to be. It was true that Syri was the only one of their pack to have seen Farmer's Den, back when she was keeping an eye on her as a stray cat. She fell silent as she thought back to that day of her stroking Syri's pack and watching the little cat nibble at a tasty snack on her counter.

  Na'Vi rolled out from the tabletop and stood upright to stretch her arms over her head.

  "Well," She began to say, pausing to lean her figure back in a manner that brought relief to her aching muscles. "I needed that."

  Her eyes fell on Janette one more time. "Listen, I don't know you or your short friend too well but... you two haven't been too bad. There is one question that's nagging me."

  "Go on."

  "Why are you helping us?" Na'Vi asked. "I understand that the other is Nityri's mate-"

  "Ehhh, it's KuliKuli." Syri remined her.

  "Right, KuliKuli's mate. But I don't know why you are doing all of this for us. Can you answer me that?"

  Janette rubbed her legs together, feeling that all eyes in the room were on her. "Uhh, huh. Well, I err... hm."

  Turning to KuliKuli, she was met with a subtle nod as if to give her friend the push she needed to share this truth with them.

  Janette took a deep breathe before responding. "It might not surprise you to know that monster girls are... unwelcome in most towns, maybe all of them. Good boys and girls are not to take interest in monster girls unless it is with the desire to, umm... well, I shall not make mention of the specifics. I guess it began when I was little because I made the stupid decision to question why monster girls were the way they are."

  "The way we are?" Na'Vi frowned, finding her choice of words insulting. "Do tell."

  "Cut it out, Na'Vi. You asked now let her answer quietly." Syri demanded, catching her family by surprise upon her outburst. She looked around, eyes dancing from one shocked expression to the next before her timid nature resurfaced. She pulled her legs against her chest and buried half of her blushing face. "Um, go on."

  Janette smiled, appreciating her help and clearing her throat so that they turned their attention back to her. "I won't be sharing some drawn out story of mine for dramatic tension. When I was little, I thought maybe not all monsters are bad. I thought this because to say monsters are evil would indicate that other animals are equally or simirly generalized, and morality is specutive at best. If monsters aren't all evil, then maybe monster girls aren't all evil. So, when a clumsy young man showed up in my shop with messy, ill-kept hair and dirty clothes, while carrying a terrified Nekomata who held on to him the way a toddler would clutch onto its mother for safety... I guess I had the answer to my suspicions then and there."

  KuliKuli raised her head and shared a look with her friend. "I thought it was because you wanted to study me?"

  "Study you!?" Emyri was thrown back, turning to Janette with a crossed look.

  Na'Vi crossed her arms in agreement with her. Janette tried to expin herself but the sudden rise in tension left her stuttering amidst her words.

  "I-I come now, that's... no! Yes but no, listen I-"

  KuliKuli grinned back, pcing her paw on her mother's leg to ease Emyri's concern. "I know it was not because of that Jay, I was just being silly. Thank you."

  "Thank me, for what?" Janette chuckled nervously, thankful that it was just a joke and that no harmful feelings were shared.

  "For keeping us safe ever since. You were the second human I met since I woke up as KuliKuli, and you've been nothing short of the best friend I could ask for. It helps that you have a rather big house too." She giggled, her ears lifting out of comfort.

  Janette rolled her eyes and rubbed her arm in response. "So, I was right to suspect that my home would attribute to our friendship after all. What else is new?"

  "Not to interrupt but you're a pretty generous human from my perspective." Dimyri chimed in with an uplifting smile, "You let us stay in your house after we threatened you, and you agreed to help us after we stalked you and -ow!"

  Syri turned red and gave her older sister an elbow to her side, cutting her off midsentence.

  "Thank you, dear." Emyri nodded in appreciation, turning to address Janette. "You've my thanks and gratitude as well for keeping my daughter safe when I could not."

  "Yup, thanks! Sorry for making a mess in your kitchen before." Syri giggled, hiding her face in her furry white paws.

  Janette ughed and waved her hand, dismissing her. "Don't mention it."

  Everyone then turned silent as Na'Vi felt their eyes were on her now. "What?"

  "Is there something you would like to add?" Dimyri asked.

  Na'Vi shrugged.

  "Young dy." Emyri huffed.

  Na'Vi recoiled, looking at Janette while pouting. "Fine, you're not so bad I guess. Sorry for threatening your life before."

  Janette humbly nodded in appreciation, her hands pressed together in front of her. "I'm just sorry today went like this."

  "Maybe it is best if we all take a moment to ourselves and rest for now." Emyri recommended with her paw raised. "The dwarf said as such and perhaps she is right. It won't help if we were to stress ourselves, and I for one need a good nap."

  KuliKuli lifted her paw off her mother to reveal the purple bruise on her skin. "Oh my gosh, Mom!"

  Emyri tried dismissing her concern, ughing away the pain as she scooted further into the mattress to lie down. "It's nothing, can't feel a thing. Mother just needs some rest, that is all."

  Her response only garnered everyone to stand around her each one sharing the same troubled look.

  "What if... I'm certain some rest would help but I-"

  "There will be no thoughts about sneaking out!" Emyri cut Janette off sharply, her fierce stance slowly returning to her more motherly expression as if the fight had left her in a fsh. She sunk back against the mattress with a painful groan, curling her two tails around her legs to cover some of her wounds. "Mother isn't as agile as she use to be. Those men gave me a good pounding, and not in the way I would much prefer it to be-"

  "MOTHER!" Syri shrieked and recoiled, covering her ears.

  "Yuck!" Na'Vi replied, sticking her tongue out in disgust.

  Dimyri snorted with a dumb grin on her. "Nice."

  "Oh drop it!" Emyri hissed back, "Your mother has needs too and I'm not getting any younger! It's not easy to look after a clutter and still seek out a handsome young man to sleep with. Ask your sister, she found herself a good man and she's been riding him every night until he sees stars!"

  "Hey! Leave me and my Felix out of this!"

  "She's not wrong." Janette snorted back, "You two make a lot of noise. Do you forget that the rest of us are trying to sleep?"

  "You are not helping!" KuliKuli shouted back, grinding her teeth in anger.

  Emyri smiled and reached for a pillow to hug. "Mmm, these fluffy things make for good cuddles. How I long to have had these for many winters after I became a mother. Just an embrace would help me sleep peacefully through the night."

  "Right, I'm guessing dad helped before. Who was he anyways and what happened to him?" KuliKuli questioned as the thought popped up in her mind.

  Emyri hummed and closed her eyes, nuzzling against the pillow. "I need some rest dear, can it wait? Let us all just take some time to rest."

  The girls are shared looks between each other before individually retreating to different parts of the room. KuliKuli curled up next to her mother to rest, while Dimyri and Na'Vi sat by each other on the left side of the room.

  Janette spotted Syri by herself at the opposite side and approached her. "Hey."

  Syri looked up and turned her head. "Huh? Oh hey."

  "Sorry, did I-"

  "What?"

  "It looked like you were thinking and, am I interrupting? Did you want to be alone?" She asked, her eyes darted back and forth.

  Syri shook her head and reached for her hand. "No no, you can stay. If you would like, you can stay."

  "Okay." Janette stood next to her, awkwardly rubbing her palms together as the two shared a minute of silence. "What's- what's on your mind?"

  "My mind?" Syri blinked with a puzzled look.

  "It's just, you look like you were thinking of someone- of something, I mean!"

  She dropped her head as her silver hair fell forward, hiding her expression as she looked away. "Oh, nothing at all."

  "Hey." Janette squeezed her paw gently, leaning in to lower her voice. "If it's about them, we're not leaving them behind."

  "It's not them, it's me." Syri admitted behind closed eyes and a quivering voice. "I feel... guilty. It's like I should be happy that I'm safe now but I feel awful instead. Like maybe I shouldn't have escaped now, because I feel so helpless here."

  "No no, don't you ever think that way." She leaned closer. "I'm gd you are safe, but you're not a burden and you should never feel guilty."

  "Then why do I feel bad being here? Just to be the lucky one while my sister's friends and mate are still trapped there. You know Felix was the one helping me there? We were locked in the same cage, I was so scared. I thought this would be the rest of my life. But he comforted her, he just... held me and told me things would be okay. I guess I... I hate being here because I wished things had turned well for all of us."

  "They will, they will. This is all new to me, to us. We're no soldiers, I'm a shop owner for goodness sake. This is way out of my field of interest." Janette shyly admitted, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I haven't a clue what mess I've gotten myself into by being here."

  Syri buried her head in her paws. "You must be wishing that you never met us. I'm sorry, after what happened at your shop. That wouldn't have happened if we never met."

  Janette hugged her, rubbing her back slowly and kissing her cheek. "That might be true, but I don't regret meeting you guys."

  "You... don't?" Syri sniffled, peering at her with reddened eyes and tears running down her face. "Why not?"

  "I'm gd I met you guys, honestly my life was rather boring before I met your sister. I may have had no choice in meeting you guys, but I chose to stay because... well, I don't know really."

  "You don't know?" Syri asked, making a face.

  Janette giggled back, "Oh I have one reason, but I can't say for certain. It's too soon."

  "Tell me."

  "No, it's silly. Crazy really, it would get me in a lot of trouble."

  "With us?"

  "No, with them. Everyone else, the people really." She reached out to rub her cat friend's tears away, caressing her cheek. "Funny thing is, I'm beginning to worry less and less. Figured that maybe I'm succumbing to some sort of madness perhaps. I just didn't realize that it would feel some comforting."

  Syri reached up to hold her hand, pulling it down as a smile began to form. She nodded and cupped her hand with both paws before the two leaned into each other, choosing to hug for comfort. It was a moment of silence before the pair pulled away with her seeming more rexed.

  "Thank you." She said with a sniffle. "I'm sorry that st night ended that way."

  "The date? Uh-dinner, dinner date? No, just... " Janette cursed herself and rubbed her eyes, breathing in much to Syri's delight. "The dinner."

  "Yes. I enjoyed it. Thank you."

  "Of course. We could just make up for it with another dinner to conclude in a more uplifting manner." Janette chuckled back.

  "I'd like that." Syri ughed in return.

  The pair were interrupted as Nyitzcha barged through the door, poking her head in and looking around. She spotted Janette and pointed her stubby finger at her. "You, missy. You and the cat with the white and brown fur. C'mere."

  "Me?" Janette repeated with KuliKuli lifting her head as the other cat girls watched. "What are we doing?"

  "Making moves, now let's git goin'."